


The Message

by Lilafly



Category: Caspanas
Genre: Angst, Grief, Orion's death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 21:32:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13644852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilafly/pseuds/Lilafly
Summary: The Prince of Koruna died and a Caspana is blamed. Just a few nights later one of the cursed horses is caught and executed the next day under the order of the King.How does the Verensa Herd react to the news of Orion's death? What will they do?





	The Message

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-shot I wrote in the last few days. Wrote the end while I'm in a grieving process myself and I feel like it could be much more angsty and sad. It's a little too light for what I intended, so maybe I'll come back to this in the future and change it.

It was supposed to be an ordinary day in Derenta. Horses came back from missions and others were lead across the border to set out on new ones. Youngsters played, naïve of what awaited them in the future and especially on that day. Herd members, yet ignorant of the messenger that was flying over the Old Forest right at this moment, went about their daily business. Tutors trained their students, parents took care of their foals, healers treated the wounded and some few even took a nap.

The sky was a foreboding grey colour. Nothing out of the usual, but something that was not quite right hung in the air. Those sensitive enough to pick up on it, either wrote it off as the weather, or succumbed to the nervous state it brought, resulting in botched up spells or mindless pacing.

Djuro, though he was neither pacing nor practicing any magic at this moment, did feel the shift too. He was smart enough to not blame the weather for the feeling of unease, for there have been way too many cases of said feeling for him already. As a former guard, he knew what it was like to receive bad news. After all, it was them who lead the messengers through the border and who therefore heard first of the happenings from the outside. Most often, said messengers were the only ones left from a party that went out on a mission, not rarely severely wounded. They carried with them an aura of defeat and mourning.

It was exactly this aura the herd leader picked up on, on this cloudy day. From that moment on he knew, that something bad was coming. The news of a tragedy that had already happened and could not be stopped.

Some air mages lifted their heads, hearing something that was still to faint for the other herd members to hear. It took only a few minutes for the sound of wings to become audible to the rest. A pegasus or a dark mage with a transformation spell that gave them wing was nothing uncommon in the herd, so only few took interest in the bright-feathered equine that became visible above the distant forbidden woods.

Djuro kept his eyes trained on the fellow though. The distress the winged stallion was in became clearer. It took a moment, but eventually the lead stallion recognized the pegasus as a Warrior. Taken, it was hard to recall every single face in a herd of over thousand, but since Pegasi were more the exception than the rule, it was easy to place him.

“Kade,” Djuro said in his low voice, but was sure to raise it enough to let the mare several hundred metres away hear him. She raised her head immediately, the ever present-scowl on her face, but obediently trotted over. It only took her one look to see where Djuro’s attention was, making her stare at the Warrior too.

She remembered sending him on a mission to Monabur. Nothing much, just a few errands to run and a trinket to retrieve that should better not be in the possession of mortals. It was an easy mission for which a Warrior was more a safety measure than a real need. Since it was his first mission anyway, this seemed like a good start, especially to a non-Caspana. Now seeing him return in obvious distress but with no visible wounds made her vary of just what had gone wrong.

The Pegasus landed on shaky legs in front of Djuro and the Warrior Leader Kade, panting as if he had flown the whole journey from Monabur to Derenta without stops. Maybe he had. While the herd leader was patient and let the young Warrior catch his breath, Kade grew more and more displeased with every passing second. When it seemed like the young stallion finally caught his breath, the small mare spoke.

“What happened?” she snapped, but more in a demanding than a furious tone. If it would have been any other rank leader, then they probably would have asked for the messenger’s wellbeing first. But Kade was not any other rank leader. She was Kade and Kade always immediately got to the point.

It obviously wasn’t the attitude the pegasus stallion could take at this moment, because his shivering intensified and it looked like he was about to cry. Either he was too soft to be a Warrior after all, or something truly traumatic must have happened. Luckily, Djuro picked up on it and silently motioned Kade to step back.

“Take your time, son. It might be hard to put into words, but start from the beginning,” the leader said, having done this hundreds of times already. His voice took on a soothing tone and even though he did not smile, his eyes conveyed that he understood the pain the young Warrior felt. Said Warrior swallowed and opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again immediately. He repeated this a couple of times before finally words got out.

Djuro and Kade carefully listened to the stammering and obviously traumatized Warrior. At the end, he had to pause often as sobs interrupted him. As he finished telling the story, Djuro lowered his head in sorrow and even Kade seemed to grieve in her own way. She excused herself to let loose a myriad of curses a little distance away.

As the herd leader raised his head again, he was very aware of the curious stares directed his way. When reports were given, it was custom for herd members to stay away, no matter how curious they were of news. It was up to Djuro to rely important information to them. Exactly that was his task now, but he needed a moment to sort his thoughts.

He wanted to grieve the fallen, but there was no time for that now. Something had to be done immediately to prevent further casualties. He also needed to break the news to the herd and especially to the family that would most mourn the loss. It certainly was hard to the herd leader sometimes.

After a few more minutes, he walked to an air mage which he knew was capable of spreading news quickly.

“Please gather as many herd members as you can round up in the next hour, especially messengers that can fly to the camps and to those on missions in Koruna.”

The air mage nodded and immediately sped off. Even more curious glances were thrown Djuro’s way at that, but he just pretended to ignore the attention for the moment. He had to consult with his wife Lillian first.

* * *

An hour later, the plains near the Old Forest had filled with a vast amount of horses. Djuro stood on a half-overgrown pile of rocks, from which he knew everyone would be able to see and hear him. Next to him were his Advisors, the information already relied to them. They were troubled by the news and still hadn’t come to an agreement about the right course of action.

“What is going on, papa?” Melody, Djuro’s almost two-year-old daughter asked. She was yet too small to fully understand what was going on, but she had grasped that it was something important. Using her relation to get up on the rock with her mother and father to find out what she could ahead of time. This was definitely what had happened, otherwise she would have been with Arisa. The two were basically inseparable.

“Lillian, please take Melody to Silas and his family,” Djuro said to his wife, not answering his daughter’s question. Lillian, immediately understanding her husband’s motives, just nodded and gently nudged Melody down the hill.

The lead stallion internally breathed a sigh of relief that his son was at the other side of Derenta at this moment. Not that he didn’t deserve to hear the news, but he has a foul and pert mouth. The last thing Djuro needed at this bitter moment was a cheeky and disrespectful remark from a minor, his son no less. No, it would be better if Shadow would get to speak his mind about the situation to him in private and not whole half of the herd was listening.

As Lillian returned, she nudged her husband half for comfort, half for reassurance. She knew it was hard for him to say what he was about to say. It would be hard for all of them. The lead mare was certain though, that they would get through it, together.

Djuro regarded the mass of horses in front of him and listened to the murmur that had befallen the crowd. Some voices seemed troubled, others interested. he wasn’t as good to pick them out individually as Lillian was, but what he caught told him, that he shouldn’t let them wait any longer. He motioned for his Advisors to end their discussion and they nodded respectfully.

As the lead stallion finally fully faced the crowd and climbed on the highest rock of the small hill, the crowd grew quieter by the second, obviously getting that ‘this was it’.

“My fellow leaders, family, friends and loyal followers,” Djuro began, his voice automatically taking on a volume that let him be heard by all of the assembled. “Earlier, a messenger from Monabur arrived. It is with great sorrow that I’m telling you that one of our own has passed away.”

A murmur rose in the crowd again, but this time the atmosphere was much grimmer. Those with relatives and friends on missions in Monabur immediately grew pale, fearing it was their close loved one that had died.

“His name,” Djuro said, raising his voice just a little which immediately let a grim silence fall over the assembled. The tension in the air was feasible. Everyone waited with held breath to hear the name of the one no longer among them. Even if they were not acquainted with him, they would mourn him greatly. It was no comparison though to those that did know him and now just waited for the devastating verification of their darkest fears to have come true. “was Orion.”

Djuro paused for a moment as the expected cry of sorrow from a mare broke through the silence. No matter how many times he had to relate the news of one of their own passing, it never got any easier. The grief of the young mother that hugged her foal – a filly too young to understand what the leader’s words had meant – threatened to choke Djuro. Many circled closer around her, offering her comfort and support. He would like to do the same at this moment, but he had to carry on with the news. After all, it was the way how Orion had died that was important for the herd to know.

“He, as all of us, knew the risk he was getting into when he chose his rank. He knew the position of a Scout did not ensure safety in missions and that he was as likely to die as any other, should he ever encounter a Heranor or some other death trap.” Djuro took a deep breath for his next words. “But never have any of us imagined one of us to die the way Orion did. Punished for a horrible crime he did not commit.”

Angry murmurs arose in the crowd, but an angry glare form Kade and an impatient stop on the rock from Djuro silenced most of them again.

“On Summer Solstice, a holy day for the Korunians, the equally holy castle Cellaryre in the heart of Monabur, was set aflame. There is no doubt that it was an act of sabotage. A horrible crime that lead to the death of an innocent child, the Prince of Koruna.”

The expressions of most changed from anger to sorrow again. Even if it was the reason for the death of one of their own, the death of an innocent child was still something they could not completely disregard.

“Through a source yet unknown, the King was told that his son’s death was the fault of a Caspana, so naturally he tried to capture the criminal. Through iron controls, he eventually caught a few fae, among which unfortunately also was Orion. He told his comrades to flee and not try to free him. With this, he sacrificed himself to save the lives of others who would have undoubtedly also perished had they attempted a breakout of Cellaryre’s dungeon.

“The King sentenced him to death and executed him,” Djuro continued in a sorrowful tone, ignoring the choking sobs of what was no doubt the late one’s wife. “What is worse is that he declared to not stop there. He will hunt us cursed ones down until the day he dies.” The lead stallion ended there and lowered his head at this piece of news. The silence that had befallen the crowd was heavy as the information sunk in.

It was Lillian who eventually broke the silence and picked up where her husband left off. “Therefore, from now on, missions in Koruna are only permitted to those that are either not cursed, or those skilled enough to easily slip through any controls, which you will be specially trained for. We cannot let this grim turn of events deter our goals. We are still here to protect the innocent from the fae! The people of Koruna are no exception there. We will fight, even if we have to lay down our lives for it! That fact has not changed!”

A lot of agreements were heard, but some others were quiet or unsure. Silently, Djuro was thankful for his wife’s contribution. She had always been better in motivating crowds and making them listen to her ways. If she hadn’t become his wife, she would have been the leader of the Warrior’s instead of Kade.

“All available messengers are to fly out and rely the news to the rest of Derenta, as well as to the camps! Others are to fly to Koruna and find those still on missions to warn them. Those that are still on their way there are to return back to Derenta immediately. Those Scouts that are not Caspanas, are to go to Monabur and keep an eye on the situation.” The mare continued confidently and with a distance to the emotional part of the story that baffled most. One of the Advisors, an old mare and former Scout, was sniffing quietly.

“Despite all these grim changes let us not forget the one that tragically left his life to save his comrades. I ask for a minute of silence for Orion, who was a true hero to be remembered.” Djuro said. Despite a few sniffles and sobs here and there, all herd members bowed their heads and closed their eyes. They were not religious and had no god to pray to, but they still thought silent prayers to whichever deity was out there to listen.

Djuro’s own thoughts wandered to the widow mare and her filly. It would be hardest for them to cope with the loss. What would become of the filly once she grew up? Would she want to become a Warrior to avenge her father, or rather a silent Healer in fear of getting killed otherwise? The lead stallion had seen quite a few foals grow up with the loss of a parent and most chose either of those options. Sadly, he had to admit, were those that chose the path of a Warrior very ill-suited for it. Too set on revenge to let reason enter their minds.

His prayer therefore went out to the filly, hoping that she would keep her sense and sanity through it all and choose the right path in the end.


End file.
